Culture Finds: Deborah Willis and Hank Willis Thomas featured in "Progeny"

Raquel Wilson — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 00:06:28 +0000

Wednesday afternoon take a trek uptown to Columbia University’s Wallach Art Gallery to sit in on a panel with artist Hank Willis Thomas and his mother, artist and scholar Debra Willis.

The discussion is set to coincide with the opening of Progeny, an exhibit focused on the influence of family, history and memory as relevant in artistic expression.

Deborah Willis and Hank Willis Thomas’ work expounds on the notion of understanding humanity. Wise and energetic, the work invigorates the intimacy of personal history as it echoes through body and thought, gaining strength as it creates new life. These works connect to new perspectives and personal vulnerabilities which grow into a collective strength. – Burt Ritchie

Curated by Kalia Brooks.

Progeny

Panel Discussion: Wednesday, April 29, 4:30 pm
Opening Reception: Wednesday, April 29, 5:30 pm

Exhibition on view: Thursday, April 30—Saturday, June 6, 2009

Miriam & Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery
Columbia University
826 Schermerhorn Hall, MC5517
1190 Amsterdam Avenue
New York, New York
(212) 854-7288

{Aperture}

Quote #11: Intended Consequences

Raquel Wilson — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 09:00:26 +0000

"When you despair, you die sooner. When you look for courage, you go on and that's the choice I made." — Young Rwandan woman, Intended Consequences: Rwandan Children Born of Rape

During the Rwandan genocide of 1994, thousands of Tutsi women were raped, beaten and tortured by Hutu militiamen. Twenty-thousand children, who were born of the rapes, are now teenagers.

In Intended Consequences: Rwandan Children Born of Rape, photographer Jonathan Torgovni's portraits accompany the stories of 30 woman who currently struggle with isolation and trauma as a result of the attacks they suffered. Many of the women fear their children will be rejected by society, so they have not told them the truth.

"All efforts should be done to ensure that rape and acts of sexual violence never happen to anyone because the individual is not the only victim. The children who come after are also affected by the sexual violence," says Odette*, who lost all her family during the genocide.

View the exhibit until May 7, 2009 at Aperture Gallery, 547 West 27th Street, 4th Floor (between 10th and 11th Avenues), New York, New York. A related panel discussion will take place April 29 at 6:30PM.

*Odette's name has been changed to protect her identity.

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Culture Finds: Deborah Willis and Hank Willis Thomas featured in "Progeny"

Quote #11: Intended Consequences